UT Arlington men wrap up regular season at South Alabama

UT Arlington might have blown a 14-point lead with five minutes left in regulation, but the Mavericks’ double-overtime victory over Troy on Thursday finally put them above .500 in conference play.

The Mavericks close the season at 7 p.m. Saturday against South Alabama with a chance to finish the regular season at .500, a mark they haven’t seen since Nov. 19.

Despite a 28-point loss last week to conference leader Georgia State, the Mavericks have won five of their past seven games. Seniors Reger Dowell and Brandon Edwards have been the offensive pulse of the team since the loss, combining for 54 points a game.

The early round of the Sun Belt tournament will include UTA, Arkansas-Little Rock, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy but the seedings won’t be finalized until Saturday. The Mavericks will be either fifth or sixth, depending whether Little Rock beats Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

UALR holds the tiebreaker over UTA based on its record against the winningest teams in the conference. The Mavericks will face either Troy or Monroe in the first round.